Thorns Along The Way
by AsderBlair
Summary: Who said making decisions was easy? specially for Rogue


**Title:** Thorns Along the Way.

**Author:** Asder Blair

**Rating:** PG-13 (maybe in later chapter it will change to an R)

Chapter 1:Turning

She didn't know why she was so nervous. After all, she was just picking up her friend from the airport. A friend she hadn't had contact with for over four years since she had gone to college and they had lost touch. Standing now on the arrival gate wasn't improving her anxious state. As arriving passengers passed her by, she wondered what was taking Kitty Pryde so long. Well it was probably the same thing that always took her so long: her luggage.

Fifteen minutes seeped by before she finally saw Kitty, who was wheeling a trolley piled with five suitcases and two trunks. Helping her along was a pilot and both seemed to be engrossed in a very important conversation, which caused Kitty to fail to notice her. If she hadn't shouted her name, Kitty would have kept ignoring her.

At that point, Kitty looked in her direction and reciprocated by yelling: "ROGUE!" She proceeded to run to her, leaving the poor pilot standing there without a word. The two friends embraced in a hug. Time seemed to stretch forever and then they separated slowly. "Oh god, it's good to see you. How have you been? I'm sorry I didn't call you as often as I should have, but school kept me from almost everything. God, you must think I'm such a bitch for not calling you when I said I would. Where's Jubes," Kitty finished her long introduction, barely with enough breath left.

"She is on a mission at the mall. You know no one can keep her from that. And don't worry about not calling us. If you had called as often as you said you would then we wouldn't have anything to talk about. So, how about you tell Mr. Handsome down there that you're going to play catch up with me – instead of playing catch me with him – and hit the road," Rogue said, looking at the pilot who was waiting for Kitty. 

"You just never lose your charm do you," Kitty teased, and then walked towards the pilot. He seemed disappointed to hear Kitty wasn't going to be joining him for whatever they had planned. He walked away, leaving Kitty to push the trolley all by herself, which she could barely push.

Rogue went to help. "Sorry you had to dismiss your loyal servant. Here let me help," she said, reaching down for the handle. They both started to walk towards the airport's parking lot.

When they reached Rogue's car, Kitty exclaimed: "Damn! I should have stayed and joined the team. Look at this baby! How long have you been riding in it?" She was referring to Rogue's new green BMW convertible.

"Got it last week after the other one got blown away in our last mission."

They loaded Kitty's luggage in and then went to their favorite restaurant in lower Manhattan. They were lucky to get a table at lunch hour. Once seated, Rogue ordered an Ice _Mocha and Kitty asked for a raspberry ice tea. In order to eat, Rogue took her gloves off and it was then that Kitty noticed the ring on Rogue's index finger. "Oh my god, how could you not tell me you were engaged! I thought we were friends."

"Calm down, Kit-Kat. I was going to tell you, okay? I just wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well it sure is. So who's the lucky fellow, huh? Is it Bobby? Scott? Jamie? John? Piotr? Or your platonic love, Logan?"

"One: it's Bobby. Two: Logan is just my best friend, okay?"

"You know, Rogue, the Nile is not only a river in Egypt."

"Oh shut up! You're worse than Jube's. How many times do I have to keep on telling you guys that me and Logan are – in contrary to popular belief – just friends?"

"Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, when did this happen?"

"Two years ago when we were…"

"TWO YEARS! I should have called more often! What else am I missing out on? Well keep on going: how did he propose?"

"As I was saying: we were coming back late one night from a mission that had gone badly. I just wanted to go back to the mansion and sleep, but Bobby asked me to meet him in the kitchen. So after I changed, I went into the kitchen and he was sitting by the window. He told me how much he loved me and how he thought that sometimes he was a jerk for doubting my love for him. Yet, he was ready to commit. He said that the world was a bad place, but I made it so much better for him. That's when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes!"

"How very boring. I always thought he would be the type of guy who would propose in a more romantic way. So have you guys set a date yet or are you going to wait?"

"Actually, we decided we wanted to wait for all of our friends to be back and then set a date. You, my dear Kit-Kat, are the last of our friends to come back. So your arrival means that my wedding day is to be in four months." Rogue beamed with a million dollar smile.

At that moment, the waiter returned and asked them what they were going to order. They both settled for a Caesar salad.

"The professor told me that he is having a fundraiser ball tonight," Kitty commented. "Are you going?"

"I have to be there since I'm in charge of the whole event. I need you to be there, too. I have been assigned to get you ready for the ball tonight. So we need to get you into a dress."

"I don't know, Roguey. I'm not so sold to the idea of being in a dress in a room full of wealthy people, but I'll do it to show my support."

"Great! Now you and I have to meet Jubes in the mall…"

"Sorry, Roguey, but I already have a dress. So there's no way you're going to get me to meet Jubes at the mall, especially when she is on the hunt for a dress."

Rogue's cell phone started to ring. She looked at the number and flipped it open. "Hello?…Oh hey, yeah, I'm on my way…Yeah, I picked her up…Hold your horses, okay? I won't be late for our session…No, I haven't seen Jubes. She said she was going to K-sport. They had some kind of sale…No, Logan, I made sure the artillery was locked…Yeah, tell Forge I'll come and find him when I get back home…Yes, Logan, I'll pick up your Tux on my way back…Don't worry, you'll be fine…Yeah, see you later." She closed the phone in one swift move. She hated it when he called to remind her of what she already knew she had to do. It was as if he didn't trust her to remember herself.

"So, you're just best friends, uh?"

"You've just read too many romance novels for your own good, Kit-Kat. We are just friends. Why is that so hard to believe," Rogue asked. Over the years, her friends had always characterized her relationship with Logan on a romantic level. Sure when she had been seventeen she had a crush on him. She would even admit that for a time she had loved him, but soon realized that he would never see her in that way. Then, Bobby had come into the picture and there was no doubt that he wanted to be with her: something she desperately had needed and wanted. In the years that followed, their relationship had gone through a few rocky times, but they had survived even when it had seemed unlikely.

"Because you don't act like it," Kitty answered. "For one, you guys are inseparable, even when you aren't together you act like you are. You do chores for him – things you absolutely don't do for Bobby. And you care way too much for him. Do I need to make a list of everything you do for Logan that you don't do for your "boyfriend"? It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that you guys are so into each other," Kitty said, taking the last bite of her salad. 

"How would you know what I don't do for Bobby? And, really, Kit-Kat, I don't want to discuss this anymore. Let's go home or I'll be late for my Danger Room session with Logan," she demanded, standing up and slapping a twenty-dollar bill on the table a little to harshly.

She didn't need to have this conversation right now. What she needed was to get to the mansion fast before Forge left (he was going to explain the mechanisms of all the new weaponry he brought for her). Rogue also needed to get to her training session with Logan. And then get ready for the fundraiser and oversee all the final preparations. _Why couldn't Storm have gone on her solo mission after the fundraiser_, she thought bitterly.

Kitty took the last sip of her ice tea and got up. "I'm sorry I annoyed you with my comments, Roguey. It really wasn't my intention to do it. It's just that I had always hoped that you and Logan would end up together. You know what a hopeless romantic I am," Kitty said softly with a melancholic tone in her voice.

"No biggie, babe. Now let's leave. I have to get back before Forge leaves."

"Forge? Who is he? Or is it a she?"

"He is a mutant whose power is to invent machinery. And he came to deliver an arsenal for me and I need him to show me how to use them, especially now that I'll be needing them to go on my solo missions," Rogue explained as they walked to the car.

"Solo missions? You can't be serious. I thought those were only for the more experienced X-men! No offense, Roguey, but you don't look like the kind of girl who would go out there and fight bad guys on a daily basis."

"None taken. I'm accustomed to hearing it. Ever since I chose this line of work. Now let's get home, Kit-Kat. I bet everyone is wondering where you are. And Jubes is probably on her way home to meet us."

They got into the car and headed home.

End Chapter One


End file.
